A Day at the Lake
by brokensocks
Summary: All hell breaks loose as Byakuya, Hisana, and Rukia attempt to relax at the lake. -AU-
1. kickOFF

_**Please note that BLEACH belongs solely to Tite Kubo and that this Rukia would be about five or six years old in human years.**_

**A Day at the Lake**

"Nee-sama!" yelled Rukia.

"Hm?" Hisana was reclining at a small table out on the veranda, appreciating the scenery the vast gardens cast in the luxurious Kuchiki mansion. The young girl energetically scampered onto her beloved elder sister's lap. "Nii-sama's back!"

"Oh. That's good," smiled Hisana. She made to rose and Rukia hopped off of her lap. "Shall we welcome him home then?"

"Of course, Nee-sama." Rukia's knitted eyebrows suggested that Hisana was missing something. "But don't you ever think about why he comes home?"

Hisana frowned. "Of course, well, actually, no… but it's nothing to think about because it's obvious isn't it? He's done with work."

"Exactly! He usually doesn't return until very late, or until very early, in the morning that is, oh you get the picture!" The undersized lassie waved her arms dramatically to emphasize her point. "What I mean is that if Nii-sama is home early, then he's on vacation!"

"Ah, okay." Hisana hoped that was the case; there can be many reasons for returning home early…

"C'mon!" Rukia unexpectedly grabbed her older sister's arm and dashed over to the gate that served as the mansion's entrance.

"Rukia! Slow down! Whatever is the matter?" panted Hisana as she struggled to keep up with her little sister's uncanny paces. A rough life in the slums contributed to the girl's enhanced speed.

"You sound like an old lady, Nee-sama!" Rukia bluntly retorted.

Upon the sight of the approaching master of the house, Rukia's speed decelerated respectfully. She was spunky and energetic, but she knew her place and honored her brother. Just as she suspected, Byakuya's arms were free of office papers and articles and the like.

"Onii-sama." She bowed, pulling her breathless sister into the same subdued position.

Byakuya's left eyebrow quirked up. For some reason, there was more hype than usual among the two adopted sisters of the Kuchiki clan.

"Rukia." He then glanced over to his petite wife, who was adjusting herself into a proper bow. "Hisana."

The two young ladies straightened up and before Hisana could speak, Rukia shot out pensively, "Nii-sama, is there a reason you are home so early today?"

The handsome aristocrat blinked, caught off his guard. He did not expect a question filled with such temerity.

"There is no special reason; I was simply excused from my duties."

"Then you are on break!" concluded Rukia successfully.

"That is one way to put it…"

"Then you can hang out with us!"

Byakuya did not reply; it was obvious that Rukia was hinting at something. His silence prompted Rukia to eject her last words.

"That means you'll take us to the lake, like you promised!"

Hisana's countenance screamed confusion. It was very unlike her stoic husband to make such childish vows. Byakuya's face, on the other hand, was not confused but spelled despair. He did not expect Rukia to recall that shallow promise…

---

"_What are you doing in here?" asked Byakuya with his eyes fixed on the calligraphy before him._

_Rukia shifted from foot to foot in the doorway. "Onee-sama said that she would like to rest and told me to stay here with you."_

_Byakuya closed his eyes in understanding. Hisana's poor health sentenced her to sick spells from time to time. But her undying willpower enabled her to endure these hardships._

"_After all," Hisana had joked. "How could I pass on, leaving behind a wonderful husband and sister?" Her declaration was followed by an odd noise that represented a concoction of a chuckle and a very wet-sounding cough. Her illnesses were not overlooked, but Byakuya did not worry much despite being concerned. He had faith in his wife._

"_Don't worry!" piped up Rukia, interrupting Byakuya's musings. "I won't bother you!"_

_Byakuya had his doubts but not one word slipped from his lips._

"_You see, I brought a book! I don't know much kanji, but I'm sure that I can figure it out! Plus, there are a lot of pretty pictures in here. I think it's about the human world." She plopped herself onto a cushion in the corner of the room and was immediately engrossed in the bundle of text and paintings. Byakuya picked up his ink stone. If she kept that up, then he did not oppose her presence in his office._

_Right when he finished grinding the ink stone in its plate, Rukia squeaked, "Hey, Onii-sama! What's this?"_

_Byakuya growled inwardly and spun around. He refused to lose his temper. His little sister was holding up a painting of a shore somewhere along an ocean._

"_That is an ocean, Rukia. Now, do not inter—"_

"_So, an ocean is like a humongous puddle of water?"_

"_It is more sophisticated than that." He picked up his brush and resumed writing._

"_If it is so huge, how come I haven't seen one around here?"_

"_That is because the ocean is far away from the Rukongai and Seireitei."_

"_What!" cried Rukia in disbelief. "That's no fun. How come the humans have an ocean nearby and we don't?"_

"_It all depends on where you live."_

"_Then all we have around here are rivers and streams?"_

_Byakuya paused and lifted his brush off of the thin rice paper. "The closest thing resembling the sea is a lake nearby. People visit it occasionally to relax and waste time."_

_Rukia's eyes lit up. "Can we go?"_

"_Of course we __**can**__ go."_

_Rukia rolled her eyes. "May we go? Will we go?"_

"_There is no point. Why would you want to go?"_

_A shrug replied Byakuya's question. "I dunno. It just looks like the people in this picture are having a lot of fun. It looks nice, and it would be a cool experience, wouldn't it?"_

"_Looks can be deceiving." The brush slid across the paper once again, leaving behind inky black trails, forming elegant characters in its wake._

"_Nii-sama, that's not very positive. I don't see any reason why not to, I know you're busy, but suppose you do have some time off, can we all go together?" Rukia's voice was hopeful._

_Byakuya sighed and gritted his teeth. His patience was beginning to wear thin. He wanted to finish his report._

"_Very well, if you keep silent." That seemed to pacify the persistent child._

"_Yay! I mean, thank you, Onii-sama." Not another word escaped from Rukia's lips from that moment on._

---

"That is correct." The words were acrid on his tongue. It was as if he were sentencing himself to death. Rukia grinned in response. She was afraid her brother-in-law was developing a notorious reputation for promise-breaking.

"Great! We'll change and we'll go! See ya!" She once again dragged a disconcerted Hisana to her room to enlighten her.

Byakuya shook his head and rubbed his temples. He planned on spending the day catching up on his much needed hours of rest, or maybe finally having some quiet time with his wife. But life gives you lemons when you want oranges.

He trudged back to his room and began to undress. He did not really have an idea of how to dress at the lake, but he remembered the pale blue-green swim trunks bestowed to him in a cardboard box by Captain Kyōraku. It was quite a while ago, the idle boozer insisted that Captain Ukitake join him for "babe-peeping" and because Byakuya was Captain Ukitake's apprentice, he was invited too. Of course, Kyōraku was immediately turned down and the nobleman was determined to never wear anything humiliating as a pair of swimming shorts. Unfortunately, he remembered where he stashed it and wondered how musty the garment's condition was now.

Byakuya plucked the flat cardboard box where the shorts rested from the remote corner of his closet. Shadows seemed to manifest themselves and devour all light. He frowned a little and squinted at the stinging stench of mothballs. It did not smell terrible but the scent was so strong he was positive it would cling to him in the same manner a starving deer tick clings to its victim. To his dismay, the swim trunks seemed to fit him perfectly. He was tempted to pull some trickery to avoid going to the lake at all until he heard the lively voices of his wife and little sister-in-law. He swallowed all reluctance and yanked on the shorts.


	2. First Come First Serve

It turned out that their timing for a trip to the lake was perfect; it was unusually warm for early October

_**Your story alert was not in vain!!**_

It turned out that their timing for a trip to the lake was perfect; it was unusually warm for early October. Rukia stood on the sandy lake shore and gawked at the water with eyes deeper blue than the sea.

"Nii-sama, Nee-sama, it's so shiny!" She ran towards the rolling waves with dashing bravery in her pink Chappy-patterned one piece swimsuit.

"Rukia, be careful!" Rukia's protective older sister ran after her.

Byakuya sighed and plopped himself down on a towel striped with red and white in the shady refuge of a matching red and white large umbrella. It was embarrassing enough that they were not the only ones who chose to visit the lake. He was most irritated when several young women had the nerve to giggle at him. He could not understand why; all he was wearing were plain swimming shorts and a white t-shirt adorned with the 13th Company's crest that he 'won' in a raffle he didn't enter, was that so amusing? Despite his severe displeasure, he made sure his features were set on apathy mode.

He sat still as he watched his wife and sister splash around in the water. Instead of swimming, they splattered each other and ran around. His wife donned a short purple tube top with a large, flowery patterned cloth tied around her waist to serve as a dress. Come to think of it, he had never seen his wife so exposed before and could not help admiring her beautiful, pale skin. It was a prominent differentiation to the dampened ebony locks that hung onto her gorgeous face as she laughed. She looked positively lovely with the gentle waves softly splashing her body and the soaked dress piece clinging to her slender legs… he shook his head free of all inappropriate thoughts. He reached for one of the water bottles that lay next to Senbonzakura and the enormous watermelon by the edge of the towel; but was stayed by a familiar voice.

"Hey! Byakuya-chan! Didn't expect to see you here!" It was none other than Captain Shunsui Kyōraku and his loyal raven-haired assistant captain, Nanao Ise. He was clothed in a shameless pink pair of trunks spotted with a diverse assortment of broadleaves. Something told Byakuya that the captain of 8th Company would be peppier if his assistant captain wore a sexy assembly of strings meant to be a bikini instead of a boring, modest, black one piece. A stark white volleyball accented with stripes of blue rested in the crook of her cradled arm instead of the ridiculously thick tome that usually (and suspiciously) accompanied her.

"Likewise." Byakuya stood up and bowed. Superiors were superiors; no matter how 'un-superior' they acted.

"Ah! Come on, Byakuya-chan, must you be stiff all the time? Act more like the young man you are instead of a stingy old geezer! Why did you come here anyway? You decided you wanted to go babe-watching after all?"

"I. Am. Married." Byakuya attempted to burn a hole through the flamboyant captain with his signature Kuchiki Glare™. Kyōraku, however, remained insensitive.

"Oh yeah, that's right! But… why should that make a difference?"

Byakuya waited for laser beams to shoot out of his eyes to strike down the man-whore.

As if Captain Kyōraku sensed bloodthirsty malice behind the stormy purple-grey eyes, he forced a cough and quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, just where is your wife?"

"In the water. With my sister," replied Byakuya curtly. He picked up his soul-cutter and tied it to his swimsuit.

"Oh, and another thing."

"What is it, Captain Kyōraku?"

"Why do you smell like moth balls?"

Byakuya could no longer control himself. It started out as water leaking through a very holey dike. Now the dam burst. Laser beams shot out of the piercing Kuchiki eyes and sped their way towards Kyōraku's cranium. Fortunately, Kyōraku was very skilled warrior and barely dodged the oncoming death lights, extreme limbo style. He stabilized himself by dropping immediately into the bridge position and used his muscular arms to flip back into an upright stance.

"Byakuya-chan." Kyōraku was frowning. "That was mean. Do you dislike me or something? I thought we were friends."

"Forgive me, Captain. It will not happen again." Byakuya bowed again. Kyōraku laughed and slapped Byakuya's shoulder.

"You didn't think I was actually serious, did you? It's all good! I know you kids get excited easily, so no blame!"

Byakuya resisted glaring at the captain again. Instead, he decided it was his turn to question the upper rank's presence.

"Why are you and your assistant captain here?" He figured Ise was the type who would rather stay indoors and do something productive instead of flirt around outside with her captain.

"Because Nanao-chan loves—"

"**Because**, Assistant Captain Kuchiki, this lazy bum of an alcoholic would not get off his butt to do paperwork until I went out with him to the lake in a swimsuit." Nanao was quick to correct Byakuya's thinking. She looked displeased and was constantly adjusting her glasses.

"Yeah, Nanao-chan, and you didn't fulfill the entire deal; you aren't in a swimsuit…"

"Correction, Captain Kyōraku. I **am** in a swimsuit. If there was a specific type of swimming attire you wanted me to wear, you should have elaborated." She ended the argument with a triumphant 'humph'. Crocodile tears streamed down Kyōraku's face in a vain attempt to gain some pity from his no-nonsense assistant captain. Byakuya personally thought their relationship was pathetic.

"I see. Then there is no other purpose for you to converse with me," stated Byakuya who hoped they would walk away. The soul-reaping trio was beginning to attract unwanted attention.

"Of course there is, Byakuya-chan! You look like a stray cat, sulking under the umbrella like that. Come on! Get some sunshine! Enjoy yourself!" Captain Kyōraku threw a friendly arm around the 13th Company's assistant captain and led him from the safety of the umbrella's shade into the danger of the sun's UV rays. "And Byakuya-chan, you just blinded me. You need a tan."

"That is unnecessary." Byakuya edged away from the Captain's hairy arm. Kyōraku groaned impatiently.

"I hope your wife isn't boring like you." He turned to the lake where the Kuchiki sisters emerged from the water and were pestering the waterfowl. "Hey! Lady Kuchiki! How are you doing?"

Hisana's gaze shifted from her sister to the 8th Company leaders and her husband. She smiled. She was afraid that Byakuya's social life ended with herself and her sister. For the sake of politeness, she took Rukia by the hand and herded her to the grownups for a face to face conversation. Kyōraku whistled.

"Wow, Byakuya-chan! Your wife is even more stunning up close!" he called out even though the stony 13th assistant captain was standing right next to him. Byakuya knew that Kyōraku's flirting was another ploy at getting him riled up and actually disagreed with the flowery alchoholic. To him, his wife was stunning at all times.

Rukia rolled her eyes out of exasperation and boredom and proceeded to drill a hole in the gritty sand with her tiny foot while her sister's sun-kissed cheeks turned pinker. "You give me too much credit, Captain Kyōraku."

"Psh, don't be so formal, it's Shunsui, remember? And your name would be…?" Kyōraku slipped his hairy hand around her smaller one and planted a seemingly innocent peck along the bony knuckles.

Hisana blinked unexpectedly and clung to her habitual formalities. "Hisana, sir."

Rukia made a gagging face. Ise's eyebrows knitted together, disapproving of her captain's erotic behavior and Byakuya's eyes flared in the same manner. Normally, he did not hold anything against a kiss on the hand, for it was merely a greeting. But it was very easy for Kyōraku to get carried away.

The burning glowers of two soul reapers seeped through Kyōraku and gave him the tip that he went too far. He cleared his throat with a forced cough and secretly looked around for a distraction that could change the topic. Salvation was reached when his dark eyes landed on the navy and white volleyball still cradled in Ise's arms and snatched it up with one hand.

"I bet you've never played volleyball before, Lady Hisana!" Kyōraku declared as he deftly spun the inflated sphere on his skinny hairy finger. Byakuya noticed that Ise's normally reproachful eyes lit up.

Hisana blinked. "Volleyball?"

"Yes, Lady Kuchiki, volleyball," began Ise as she stepped forward and forcibly yanked back her treasure. "It is a game designed for the sole purpose of humiliating the other team. There is a net and the volleyball. The idea is to hit it back and forth over the net within the boundaries. If a team misses the ball, the opposing team earns one point."

"If it was made to make fun of people, why would people play it?"

"I made that part up. It's just amusing to see people dive dramatically to 'save the ball'."

Hisana didn't quite understand, but she thought she had a grasp of what she was talking about.

"You know, it's better to show than to tell." Ise curled her long digits around Hisana's wrist and began to herd her away.

"Let's see… on a shore like this, there should be— ah! Over there." Ise spotted a volleyball net conveniently set up farther down the shore where other miscellaneous soul reapers were playing their own game. Hisana continued to follow her and so did Rukia.

"Um, Ise-san?" Rukia tugged gently on the side of Ise's swimsuit.

She glanced down at the little Kuchiki.

"How do you know so much about this game? From books?"

Ise's eyes narrowed as if her plumage was ruffled and her glasses shone dangerously. "I just happened to be the star of the Soul Reaper Volleyball Team back in my academy days."

"Oh." Rukia averted her gaze abashedly.

"Really? That's impressive!" Hisana's genuine enthusiasm seemed to lift Ise's mood a bit. She half-smiled and they kept moving on.

--

"My wife has lost it." Byakuya stated as he watched the receding group of females.

"Then lose it with her! You're her faithful husband, aren't you?" Kyōraku enthusiastically clapped his fellow military dog's back in a violent manner.

"It does not mean that I will stoop low enough to participate in some sport of idiocy just to—"

"Let's go!" Kyōraku completely ignored Byakuya by grabbing his wrist and making a mad dash toward the ladies.

_**Yeah, I've been wanting to write an AU Kuchiki family fanfic for a while and this is what came out. I sort of have an idea of what comes next but other than that, I'm making it up as I go along. So if you have any suggestions, don't be afraid to tell.**_

_**And yes, I support the Hisana & Nanao friendship theory! (cackle)**_


	3. First Serve First Out

"Hey, Onii-sama's coming," announced Rukia as she watched Kyōraku drag a defiant Byakuya towards them

"Hey, Onii-sama's coming," announced Rukia as she watched Kyōraku drag a defiant Byakuya towards them.

Hisana looked away from Ise's demonstration. "That's wonderful."

"That's not," replied Ise. She too noticed the approaching men. Hisana glanced back at her with a confused look.

"I mean, my captain's coming, and he's bound to harass me."

"Nanao-chan! We're here!"

"So I gathered." Ise pretended to be busy studying the ball's stitches.

"We figured that if you lot were going to play, so would we!" chirped Kyōraku in hopes of capturing his merciless assistant captain's attention. Byakuya did not know where this 'we' nonsense originated from.

Kyōraku frowned when Ise did not respond. Was she playing hard to get?

"Nanao-chan, I know you're excited," purred Kyōraku as he stepped up behind her. His fingertips begin to curl underneath the back of her swimsuit. Ise's leg subconsciously shot back right into the unsuspecting goat chin's groin the same way a criminal desperately stomps on the gas pedal in a truck full of money when fleeing from the authorities.

Foam dribbled out of Kyōraku's mouth and he collapsed to the side.

"One hit, K.O.!" gasped Rukia with her eyes gleaming in admiration. Hisana glanced at her new friend with a reproachful expression.

"Nanao-san, do you really think that was called for?"

"It was. And don't worry. He's just paralyzed. He'll be fine after an hour or so of hellish pain," said Ise as she turned around.

"Hey, hey! If we're going to play volleyball, we'll need Nii-sama to join us, to even out the teams!" notified Rukia.

Byakuya thought that things were looking better for him ever since the pesky 8th Company Captain fell unconscious but it appeared that he was still unexcused from debasing torture.

"My presence is not needed. You don't need even teams to play," reasoned Byakuya in defense.

"Yeah, you do! If it was Nee-sama and I versus Ise-san, it wouldn't be fair! And if it was me versus Ise-san and Nee-sama, it still wouldn't be fair! And if it was Nee-sama versus Ise-san and me, she would get killed!"

"Rukia, I'm not that weak and I don't think volleyball is a very difficult game to play."

"Oh, but it's harder than it looks!" cackled Ise('s inner voice) as she calmly spun the volleyball on her manicured fingertip.

"I suppose Rukia is right. It would be unfair if it was two people against one," agreed Hisana.

"Of course I'm right! Nii-sama, Nee-sama is sick almost all the time, so why not let her have some fun with you while she's up and about?" asked Rukia.

Byakuya closed his eyes. He hated the guilt game because he always lost.

"Fine. But not for very long."

Rukia grinned at her sister. Hisana seemed a little displeased that her husband was forced into this.

"Byakuya-sama, you don't have to…"

"I said 'fine'."

Hisana bowed her head guiltily. "Thank you Byakuya-sama, for your consideration."

Ise stopped spinning the ball and looked at Rukia. "Since you are the youngest, you may have the first pick of team members."

"Hmmm." Rukia surveyed the surrounding adults. She had to choose wisely if she wanted to win. She at first considered selecting Ise because she had much experience in volleyball arts but she glanced at Byakuya. She wasn't sure if her brother was very familiar with this game but his extraordinary speed and strength could be a huge advantage. She supposed knowledge of the rules wasn't extremely necessary; as long as you had a grasp of the essential concept, you would be fine.

She pointed at her brother. "Nii-sama."

Ise shrugged her shoulders and dropped one. "That leaves me and Hisana-san." She sauntered over to one side of the net and gestured for Hisana to follow her. "We'll be serving first."

"'Kay! Let's go, Nii-sama!" Rukia grabbed Byakuya's hand and dashed over to the opposite side. He peered suspiciously at Hisana and Ise. They weren't at battle formations, but huddled together like penguins in a snowstorm. They seemed to be discussing something of great importance.

"Uh oh," said Rukia. Byakuya turned around to look at her.

"What is it?" But he noticed that Rukia was looking at the huddled women too.

"They're huddling. That means they're cooking up some sort of strategy to take us down."

"That makes sense. Strategies are useful in war."

"Then we have to think of something too! C'mon Nii-sama, you're smart! How are we going to beat them?"

Byakuya sighed exasperatedly. "There isn't much to it, is there? Just prevent the ball from landing in our territory."

Rukia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Um, that goes without saying. Any specific way to do that?"

Byakuya said nothing but after a brief second of silence, Rukia piped up, "Oh, hey! Why don't we do this super cool move, like when the ball comes in, you bop it up high, and then you throw me, and then I spike it down really hard! Let's call it 'Ultimate Hare Boxing Combo!'"

"Let's not. That is absurd."

A put-out Rukia scowled at Byakuya but did not make a snappy retort when Hisana and Ise dispersed. "Here they come."

Ise meandered to the back of the court while Hisana positioned herself by the net. She glanced across the field to Rukia and Byakuya. "Ready, you two?"

"More or less." Byakuya took three steps backwards along with Rukia. He glanced at her.

"What are you doing here? Spread out. I will take the left side, you will take the right. It is up to you to cover it."

"Yes, Nii-sama." Rukia could do nothing else but comply.

"Here it comes!" called Ise to be fair and square. The ball was bounced expertly a few times and was swiveled into skillful palms. Ise gauged the distance from her stance to the end of the opposite court. As expected, Byakuya was no fool. He was in the rear, so driving them to the back to leave the front vulnerable would be futile. Her narrowed eyes flickered over to Rukia. Maybe if she were to aim at the girl, she could rely on the glare of the sun to blind her, causing her to miss. Possibilities were low, but it was the best chance she had. Serving the ball to any other area would be useless too. Byakuya's _shunpo_ enabled him to react instantly. In other words, her only option was to serve to Rukia, because Byakuya wasn't cold enough to pulverize his own sister for some stupid ball, was he?

She deftly rolled the volleyball in her palms once more. It was tossed up in the air and Ise struck the inflated leather in rhythm to a step. A 'whack' propelled the revolving sphere cleanly through the air straight towards the young Kuchiki. Rukia squinted in the sun. The gleam was going to hinder her aim a lot, but she nevertheless clamped her hands together in front of her chest. But Byakuya flashed in front of her.

"Stand back, Rukia." He slung his arm back to his ear in preparation for a spike. Ise hissed inwardly. She did not count on his height.

_Wham!_ Byakuya slapped the ball but instead of flying back to its previous master, it shot straight up in the air. His mouth tightened but at least the ball was in the perfect position for an easy counterattack. Or so he thought.

"Nii-sama! Throw me now!" Rukia unexpectedly lunged at her brother-in-law.

_What?_ They plummeted into the grainy sand in a heap with Rukia on top. The ball innocently bounced off of Rukia's upturned back.

"That's one point for us!" Ise's fist flew up enthusiastically. Hisana just stared at her relatives.

"Ow…" Rukia rolled off of Byakuya and stood up. "Nii-sama, you were supposed to throw me…"

Byakuya, as usual, said nothing but his pique was visible behind his mask of indifference. "Do not do that again."

"But what about the combo?"

"We never agreed on that."

Rukia snorted and turned away from him. "Fine, be like that."

Byakuya did not reply and swept the renegade volleyball from its resting position in the sand. He rolled it under the net to Hisana. She looked at Ise and they both nodded. Their stations were switched with Nanao accompanying the net and Hisana serving the ball. Hisana took a deep breath. She had never served or hit a volleyball before, and did not want to fail. She imitated Ise's footwork but instead of serving overhand, the synthetic orb of leather was launched from an underhand serve. It twirled awkwardly and connected with the top white strip of the net and balanced there for a second before flopping over onto Rukia and Byakuya's side.

Byakuya expected this. He blurred in front of the ball and smacked it forcefully in retaliation. It shot smoothly and swiftly from his wrists straight into the net and back into his nose. Hisana winced and Ise smirked to herself. She couldn't wait to tell everyone at the Society of Women Soul Reapers how her team creamed _the_ Kuchiki Byakuya in volleyball. Byakuya lodged the embedded ball from his face with a more than displeased look. Rukia rushed to his side.

"Nii-sama, may I say something?"

The ball rolled under the net to Ise. "Just say it."

"You stink at volleyball."

"Well, my _deepest_ apologies. It appears that double X-chromosomes are required for the basic survival of this sport." Byakuya began to walk back to his side.

"X-ku… kuro… quo… quoi?"

"Nevermind."

Ise promptly stooped down and picked up the ball. She glanced up and once again studied her opponents. She refused to be haughty and believe that the reason her team was ahead was because of her skill, but rather by the opposing team's mistakes. She knew that it wouldn't be long until they grasped a hold of the game and begin launching a comeback. But for the meantime… she could take advantage of their awkwardness and ignorance. Her eyes flickered over to Hisana, whose turn was to accompany the net. She held up one hand as the other cradled the volleyball and made strange movements with her fingers.

_When the ball comes over the net, set it into the air, and then I will spike it._

Hisana nodded.

Byakuya grimaced. _Hand signals._ He had to expect it from the brainy 8th Company lieutenant. This method would prove to be troublesome but as long as he memorized the hand signals and movements that succeeded them, cracking the code would be child's play.

_Thwack!_ The ball was once again brutally propelled through the air and headed straight toward the opposite end of the court.

"Stand aside, Rukia," commanded the determined aristocrat. Even if the ball was careening more towards Rukia, he highly doubted that she would be physically capable of deflecting the intimidating serve.

"No! You stand aside! It's on my side!" retorted Rukia. Even though her big brother was directly in front of her and obscuring her view, she began to claw her way up his solid back and heaved herself upon his shoulders.

"What are doing? I already said—" Byakuya was so focused on freeing himself from his hell-bent sister that he did realize that the ball was closing in faster than anticipated. _Crack!_ It struck him right in the lower jaw and knocked back his head. The ball bounced away from its fleshy landing and rolled off into the water. Hisana slapped a hand to her forehead and Ise smirked. If this was how they were going to act, she could rely on their shaky communication to crumble their foundation of defense.

Byakuya finally managed to pry off the little Rukia and began to walk away. "That is enough."

Rukia pouted. "Fine, you're lousy at games anyway."

A stern glare shot Rukia square in the face. "I happen to be a fantastic pool player."

"Says who? The trophies you don't have?" snapped an irritable Rukia.

"Guys, guys, let's just keep playing! If you want, Rukia, we can switch teams," coaxed Hisana over her shoulder as she approached the water to scoop up the innocent yet murderous volleyball. Her placating face converted into an expression of confusion as she felt something slimy tangled around the ball. Her gaze slowly slid over to the object of vexation and recognized it as… a squid tentacle?

Hisana shrieked in horror and surprise and attempted to yank off the flabby organ which was now curling around her thin arm. Byakuya's eyes widened as did Ise's. Rukia seemed excited; she had never seen a marine animal in freshwater before.

"Don't let the suckers attach to you, Nee-sama!" called Rukia. Hisana felt the suckers clamp inexorably to her soft flesh.

"Too late for that!" squeaked Hisana who realized that pulling and wiggling was futile. She then began to assault the squishy tentacle via kick. "Get off! Off!"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed and he _shunpo_-ed his way to the scene to rescue his wife but was too late as she was tugged under the water screaming, "Byakuya-sama!"

He grabbed wildly for her free arm, caught it, but slipped. He hissed in anger and plunged into the chaotic water. Rukia looked at Ise.

"Ise-san, was that our fault?"

_**Could this be the end? Will Byakuya save his wife, or is she forever doomed to painful deaths as he is forever doomed to be a widower?**_


End file.
